26Mar15

Watchdog Report Faults DEA Handling of Sex Party Allegations

A federal watchdog on Thursday faulted the Drug Enforcement Administration
over allegations that agents attended sex parties with prostitutes on
government-leased property while stationed overseas.

The sex parties are just one example of questionable behavior highlighted in a
report by the Justice Department inspector general that examines the
department's handling of sexual harassment and misconduct allegations from
2009 to 2012.

It said some allegations were not fully investigated or went unreported to
headquarters. It also criticized poor communication among internal affairs
investigators assigned to look into the bad behavior and security personnel
responsible for the security clearance process. And it said the FBI and DEA
balked at requests for information, to the point that investigators "cannot be
completely confident" that they got complete information.

The report chronicles varied allegations of other inappropriate sexual behavior
-- including unwanted advances, sex between training instructors and
students and relationships between a supervisor and subordinate -- involving
employees of federal law enforcement agencies within the Justice Department.
Those include the FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

One section of the report recounts allegations that DEA agents attended sex
parties with prostitutes, funded by local drug cartels, in a foreign county. Those
claims came to light in a series of interviews with foreign police officers by
DEA internal affairs investigators in 2009 and 2010. The parties were allegedly
arranged over the course of several years by a foreign officer, who also
alleged that several agents were provided with money, expensive gifts and
weapons.

Seven agents ultimately admitted attending parties with prostitutes. The DEA
issued suspensions ranging from two days to 10 days, and one agent was
cleared of wrongdoing.

The report does not identify the country where the alleged sex parties
occurred, but a federal law enforcement official confirmed it was Colombia. A
separate 2012 prostitution scandal in Colombia involving the Secret Service
had drawn attention to questionable behavior by law enforcement officers
while stationed overseas, prompting Congress to order a review of other
agencies' practices. DEA agents who were accused of misconduct in the wake
of that scandal were recalled from Colombia and put on limited duty.

The report criticizes the professional responsibility branch of the DEA, which
investigated the allegations, for failing to report them to a separate office that
ensures that employees meet the requirements to hold security clearances.
The alleged sex parties took place in government-leased quarters where
agents' phones and laptops were present, but investigators did not report the
allegations because they "did not believe that the special agents' conduct rose
to the level of a security risk requiring a referral."

Those communication lapses are a problem not just at the DEA but also at
ATF and the Marshals Service, the report stated.

"In most cases where employees were alleged to have engaged in high-risk
sexual behavior, security personnel were not informed about these incidents
until long after they occurred or were never informed, even though such
behavior presents possible significant security risks," it said.

In a statement, the Justice Department said it takes seriously the findings of
the inspector general and is working to implement policies to prevent similar
problems from arising in the future.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican and chairman of the House
Committee on Oversight & Government Reform, said bad behavior overseas
poses a national security risk.

"We need to weed out those who risk our national security, embarrass the
county and skirt the law," he said. "This needs to end."

Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urged a
zero-tolerance policy that would lead to the firing of any Justice Department
employee found to have solicited prostitutes.

[Source: The New York Times, Ap, Washington, 26Mar15]

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